While most of us are still contemplating just how unreasonable our latest New Year’s resolutions will prove to be, Harley-Davidson has already gone back to work on its model release cycle, announcing its first batch of bikes for the 2025 model year. For this first installment, The Motor Company is focusing on returning machines in its Grand American Touring and Trike categories, which include bikes like the Street Glide, Road King Special, and Tri Glide Ultra. There are no indicated mechanical changes to this initial group, with the only tweaks coming in the form of color options and price increases, and the bikes we’ll mention here are already available at most dealerships globally.
In addition to the returning touring and trike models announcement, H-D also rolled out a new program it’s calling Harley-Davidson Factory Custom Paint & Graphics, which it says offers “desirable paint-and-graphics schemes on select models.” More on that below.
As with last year’s rollout, Harley is choosing to unveil the balance of the lineups later, with the 2025 cruiser, adventure, sport, and limited-production CVO lineups all being presented on h-d.com at 5 p.m. CST on January 23.
With the base Street Glide and Road Glide models having been core members of the Touring line all these years, it’s no surprise to see the two stalwarts back for 2025. Their big overhaul came last year, with both machines getting many of the same styling, suspension, and electronics upgrades that initially appeared on the CVO Street Glide and Road Glide counterparts the prior year, so the 2025 models are pretty much straight carryovers from 2024.
That means we’ll see the Milwaukee-Eight 117 powerplant on both for 2025; with liquid-cooled cylinder heads and a new cooling system, the powerplant pumps out a claimed 105 hp and 130 lb.-ft. of torque, giving it legs to run for miles, as we found out on test rides last year. Both Glides also return with the new Skyline OS-powered infotainment system that debuted last year, which brings with it a 12.3-inch TFT color touchscreen, 200-watt amplifier, and fairing-mounted speakers, to name just a few conveniences.
Both machines also saw revisions upfront, with the Street Glide’s redesigned fork-mounted fairing and the Road Glide’s frame-mounted unit offering improved air management while still keeping their respective batwing and shark-nose profiles. As before, both bikes come with H-D’s suite of rider safety enhancements which includes cornering ABS, traction control, and vehicle hold control. You can choose from chrome or black trim options on either model, and this year there are at least seven color options (including a couple of the new Factory Custom hues), which add anywhere from $600 to $2,900 to the final price.
Speaking of which, both models get a fairly sizable bump in MSRP this year, with the Street Glide going up to $27,749 (to start) for 2025, and Road Glide boasting an MSRP of $27,999 to start.
As for the Road King Special, it also returns with the same Milwaukee-Eight 114 powertrain that propelled last year’s model, along with the now-familiar stripped-down silhouette and mini-ape handlebars with black finishes dominating the scene. You can only get it in that black trim for 2025, and there are three colors to choose from, with Gray being the base hue. And yeah, there’s a price increase here as well; $25,749 is the starting MSRP. ABS is standard, though you’ll pay extra for things like cornering ABS and traction control.
If you’re thinking, hey, there’s something missing here, you’re right. There’s no word on whether we’ll be seeing any of the full-dress tourers—the Road Glide Limited or Ultra Limited—from last year’s lineup returning, but that may well happen later this month.
Harley-Davidson’s trike lineup for 2025 keeps the same trio from last year, with the return of the loaded Tri Glide Ultra, the still-nicely-equipped Road Glide 3, and the minimal, open-air Freewheeler, all back for the new model year. All three are also mechanically unchanged, with the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine powering the lot, though there are new color options this year. On the more opulent Tri Glide and Road Glide 3 models, you can choose from black or chrome trim and a plethora of color options, while the Freewheeler comes only in black trim and three colors. The good news is that none of the three get price increases this year, with the Tri Glide at $37,999, the Road Glide 3 at $34,999, and the Freewheeler at $31,999.
H-D usually rolls out some pretty trick paint schemes several times over the course of the year, and for 2025 it is continuing the trend with what it is calling Harley-Davidson Factory Custom Paint & Graphics. It’s an extra-cost premium paint-and-graphics option you can order for certain bikes through an authorized Harley-Davidson dealer, with the custom paint and finishes being applied to components as the motorcycle is assembled. At the other end, the customer gets a fully completed motorcycle bearing those exclusive paint and graphics without the extra expense or downtime often required by custom shops, plus it’s backed by a full factory warranty.
For 2025, the program will offer three color schemes on select models: Mystic Shift, Firestorm, and Midnight Firestorm. Each paint set features a special black tank medallion with chrome accents and a mother-of-pearl textured background in either purple or orange.
Mystic Shift is said to transition from a dark gun metal to purple to blue to almost orange, depending on the light; Firestorm recalls H-D’s first factory flame paint scheme on the 1980 Wide Glide and comes in the darker Midnight Firestorm, or Whiskey Firestorm in a deeper orange shade.